Charlotte Fresh had a lot of eggs (thank you, Carlea Farms CSA!) and tomatoes on hand, so it was time to make quiche for dinner.

Doesn't that look good?

Hope you like this easy recipe.  I included malabar spinach (Basella alba), otherwise known as Red Vine or Climbing Spinach.  It’s a fast-growing red-stemmed leafy green, popular in tropical climates.  Seems perfect for the heat we’ve been experiencing lately.  The term “spinach” is a bit of a misnomer because it’s not really in the same botanical family as the spinach we know, but you can eat the leaves raw, and they taste great in salad.  I grow malabar in my indeterminate tomato bed, and the two plants intertwine around each other.  It’s a crazy-looking wild jungle in there.  The deer apparently love the malabar leaves, too, so be aware if you try your hand at growing it.  If you don’t have malabar spinach available you might try Windcrest Organics, or you could substitute another type of green leafy vegetable.

Fresh Recipe:  Tomato-Malabar Spinach Quiche

Easy Tomato-Malabar Spinach Quiche

Serves 6-8

• 10-inch pie crust
• 4 very large tomatoes or the equivalent of plum tomatoes, sliced, gently squeezed and drained for 10 minutes
• 1/2 C chopped malabar spinach leaves
• 1/2 C chopped basil
• 1 small waxhalia onion, sliced; separate the rings (New Town Farms)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 C milk or soy milk
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 C diced pan friend potatoes (hash browns) – optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pat crust into pie plate.  Flute edges and chill while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Mix eggs, milk and 1/2 cheddar cheese.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Remove crust from the refrigerator.  Place tomatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the crust.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Layer sliced onion rings on top of the tomatoes and evenly distribute the minced garlic.  Top with spinach and 1/2 the basil.  Layer potatoes evenly on top.

Pour egg mixture evenly over the vegetable layers.  Layer with remaining basil and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  Allow to cool 10-15 minutes until set.